Breaking News from Bin Laden

CAIRO — Al Qaeda is preparing for attacks in the United States but the terror group is offering a truce to help rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan, according to an audiotape aired Thursday on Al-Jazeera, purporting to be the voice of Usama bin Laden. The voice on the tape said heightened security measures in the United States are not the reason there have been no attacks there since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Instead, the reason is "because there are operations that need preparations, and you will see them," he said. "Based on what I have said, it is better not to fight the Muslims on their land," he said. "We do not mind offering you a truce that is fair and long-term. ... So we can build Iraq and Afghanistan ... there is no shame in this solution because it prevents wasting of billions of dollars ... to merchants of war." The speaker did not give conditions for a truce in the excerpts aired. U.S. intelligence officials did have advance warning that the Arabic satellite network had an audiotape alleged to be from the Al Qaeda ringleader; Al Jazeera maintains the tape is new. U.S. officials are anxious to hear the tape in its entirety and to read the translated transcript. They are searching for specific date references in the tape to determine when the message may have been recorded. There is also speculation within the Pentagon and throughout the intelligence community that bin Laden may be dead. FOX News contacts around Pakistan and Afghanistan say they were fully expecting some kind of communication from a top Al Qaeda figure following the alleged U.S. attack last Friday on a Pakistan compound where it was believed some high-profile Al Qaeda operatives were invited to dinner. But it was believed that that communication may come from bin Laden's top lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahiri. There has been no audiotape from bin Laden broadcast since December 2004. Thanks to Foxnews.com